Bisht fights on, Brijesh bows out

Ekaterinburg (Russia), Sept 15 

Kavinder Singh Bisht (57kg) advanced to the pre-quarterfinals with a hard-fought win over China’s Chena Zhihao in the men’s World Boxing Championships here today.

The fifth-seeded Indian left his rival with a bloodied face before the judges ruled 3-2 in his favour. It was an exhausting bout with both the boxers managing to connect very few solid punches. 

The 26-year-old Indian Air Force man was a quarterfinalist in the 2017 edition. However, he has come to Russia as one of the strongest contenders for a medal. Bisht will square off against Finland’s Arslan Khataev next. 

Sanjeet defeated Scotland’s Scott Forrest 4-1 in an equally draining contest. Brijesh Yadav (81kg) bowed out after a 1-4 loss to Turkey’s Bayram Malkan. The lack of aggressive intent in the first two rounds cost Yadav as his comeback in the final round proved too little too late. — PTI